Jayce is a one year old blue chow chow, and acts very much like stereotypical "mean chow". He is mean to new people. Scares the neighbors by nipping when they go to pet him, he is great with us and our roommates, but he tends to get testy with everyone but me and my boyfriend. He does great (or so I thought) with other dogs, and has a sister he plays with all the time and adores. He chases rabbits, and tries to kill our house cat, which has caused our household a slew of problems, as we have to keep him confined to an area where the cat isn't, or vice versa. We were keeping him intact with the intention of him breeding with our female (who is not blood related), but the more and more I have him around people and other animals, I've been considering getting him fixed.

Today, we brought home a new puppy, a 3 month old Husky that we have named Snowe. My biggest concern bringing him home, was that Jayce would become too excited about having another dog to play with, and he may accidentally hurt him. Unfortunately, my mother's intuition was wrong, and upon meeting him, Jayce sniffed him, had a proper interaction, and then attempted to attack him.

Are these behaviors able to be remedied by neutering? I want Jayce to live a happy life and roam the house with the other dogs, and be a part of the family, instead of a sequestered loner. He is such a sweet boy to me and my boyfriend, and I would hate for him to hurt a person, or animal and have to be put down. He is my baby, and I just want what is best for him.

Honestly no neutering will not help IMO and bringing in a male husky is a complete recipe for disaster also. Two dominant breeds, dominant males, I'm cringing. You already have the cat issue, the stranger issue, and now the new male dog issue. I'm sorry but I just can't understand why you would bring another dog into this already volatile situation. Please protect Jayce and do not allow him the opportunity to hurt anyone and be killed. You need serious positive training guidance but you also must be beyond responsible and protect Jayce. Neutering certainly won't hurt but it will not fix the situation. And the male husky pup...I'm just flabbergasted that you would bring a pup into this situation. I hope you can return the pup or find him a new home.

Laura's reply is dead on. I know this is painful, but you really need to deal with getting the husky pup out of your home now for everyone's sake if aggression by Jayce is the norm toward him. I say that as an owner with a 4yr old male Siberian and an 8 month old male chow in my house that I have worked 24/7 for 7 months to socialize, take to dog parks every week, visit with people outside the home, etc. They are pals now, but it took tons of time and effort. (I'm retired and could spend the time. Many don't have the luxury. From experience (my 5th Chow), a Chow, male or female, needs constant socialization as a puppy through the first year + + with other dogs and people outside the immediate household. This isn't something you can defer or put off for weeks/months at a time. Jayce has obviously bonded with you and your household, but neutering at this point, while still a good idea medically and for some amelioration of aggression, will never fully change his protective behavior or aggression and lack of trust toward strangers. And forget the cat. If he thinks of your cat as prey vs. a toy, neutering will never change that. Good luck.

Thank you for the advice! He has an appointment to be neutered, and him and the new pup have been getting along great. Still hoping to resolve the cat issue, as the cat is our roommates. Hoping that his prey drive goes down once he is neutered. We have been constantly socializing him, and although he goes through periods of getting better, it's like he has short term memory loss and forgets he is friends with people.